Vietnam’s Dao Xuan Hoang, 34, won the first prize for an education app at the Global Innovation through Science and Technology Competition 2016 in the US.

Hoang’s Monkey Junior, a children’s English teaching software which ranked among the top 18 at the Vietnamese Talents Awards 2015, was chosen among 28 other finalists from around the world.

The bonus for the winner is $15,000 to develop the education app.

This was the first time a Vietnamese software developer reached the final of the annual GIST Tech event held in the tech-heartland of California’s Silicon Valley and won first place.

The competition, a global initiative from the US government and backed by US President Obama, attracted 1,075 entries from more than 100 countries. Three products sent by Vietnam, Fundy, Monkey Junior and MediFree reached the semi-final, with Monkey Junior by Dao Xuan Hoang selected along with 27 other products for the final round.

Monkey Junior is English teaching software for children aged from four months to 10 years old…